General Experiance

Dr Karen H Simpson graduated Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) from Leeds University School of Medicine in 1979. She commenced Basic Training in Anaesthesia in 1980 and specialised in Pain Medicine. In 1983 she was awarded Fellowship of the Royal College of Anaesthetists (FRCA) UK. She completed her Higher Specialist Training in Anaesthesia/Pain Medicine in 1986 and was awarded the Certificate of Specialist Anaesthesia Training. She was admitted as a Founding Fellow of the Faculty of Pain Medicine of the Royal College of Anaesthetists (FFPMRCA) in 2008 having been involved in the development and inception of the new Pain Faculty. She was Lecturer in Anaesthesia at Leeds University for three years from 1984 with clinical, undergraduate/postgraduate teaching and research responsibilities. She is a Senior Clinical Lecturer in the School of Medicine Leeds University. In 1987 she was appointed as a Consultant in Anaesthesia and Pain Medicine at Leeds University Teaching Hospitals where she worked until she retired from NHS practice in 2016. She has been an Honorary Consultant at St Gemma’s Hospice Leeds since 1989. In the last 10 years of her NHS practice her clinical work was solely in Pain Medicine. She worked within a multidisciplinary Pain Clinic that accepts referral of complex patients from the region and nationally. The Leeds Pain Service offers all treatment modalities particularly neuromodulation e.g. spinal cord stimulation and spinal drug delivery. She was a founder member of the Leeds Pallium Research Group and she had many successful bids for national research funding; she established a Pain Medicine Research Unit in Leeds that remains funded and active. She has published widely and lectured internationally on pain topics. She is now an Honorary Consultant in Pain Medicine at Leeds University Teaching Hospitals and continues in private clinical practice in Leeds. She takes part in annual appraisal; she has revalidated, is registered with the GMC and has a Licence to Practice. She was an FRCA examiner for 12 years, examining in the UK, Eire, Cairo and Sri Lanka. She was an active member of the British Pain Society and was elected Secretary of the Society (2002-2004). She was Yorkshire RCA Advisor in Pain Medicine (2003-2007). She was on the FFPMRCA Board and was elected as its first Vice Dean; this role involved national education, curriculum development and standard setting in Pain Medicine. She was appointed to the FPMRCA Court of Examiners in 2010 and was honoured to be chosen as Examinations Chairman (2013-2016); this role involved examinations in the UK and Hong Kong. She was awarded the FPMRCA Commendation for Meritorious service in 2015. She remains involved in national Pain Medicine education, standard setting and examinations.Dr Simpson is a member of specialist societies e.g. British Pain Society, International Association for the Study of Pain and British Medical Acupuncture Society.